Killer Instinct - Xbox Onehttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/default.aspxen-USTelligent Community 1.5.134.12297 (Build: 5.5.134.12297)343 and Microsoft Give The Rundown On The Arbiter In Killer Instincthttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2016/02/28/343-and-microsoft-give-the-rundown-on-the-arbiter-in-killer-instinct.aspxSun, 28 Feb 2016 17:42:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:8154572Javy Gwaltney10http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=8154572http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2016/02/28/343-and-microsoft-give-the-rundown-on-the-arbiter-in-killer-instinct.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/irongalaxy/arbiter610.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>A little bit ago Iron Galaxy was dropping <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/02/24/see-how-halos-arbiter-fits-in-with-the-killer-instinct-cast.aspx">teases and trailers </a>left and right that the Arbiter was on the way to Killer Instinct. Those who have been wanting more details are about to get them as the official Halo site just put up a <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-fighting-words">massive post</a>&nbsp;revealing customization options, combat styles, and the design philosophy behind this particular incarnation of the popular Halo character. </p>
<p>The key points revealed in the post are as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>A list of 8 different armor customization options for the Arbiter that players will be able to use, all of which pay tribute to Halo&#39;s lore: Kaidon, Arbiter, Combat, Storm, Ranger, Commander, Zealot, Ascetic.</li>
<li>During matches Arbiter will be able to use a Type-51 Carbine, plasma grenades, and an energy sword.</li>
<li>The Arbiter&#39;s stage is &quot;the Arena of Judgment, located near the ruins of Nuusra.&quot;</li>
</ul>
<p>Perhaps the most interesting revelation in the post pertains to who this particular version of The Arbiter is in Killer Instinct:</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;"><i><span>The next thing that typically flows furiously forth from fan lips and forum fingers is &ldquo;Yeah, but is it&nbsp;</span>the&nbsp;<span>Arbiter? What about Keith David?! Is this canon? And where is my Ricochet playli - &rdquo; We get it, we get it. The answer is that from pretty early on it was decided that to both make things easier from a fictional explainability perspective, as well as take full advantage of all the cool opportunities available in the&nbsp;</span>Killer Instinct&nbsp;<span>ecosystem, that it would be best to create a versatile &ldquo;could be anyone&rdquo; Sangheili warrior for the role, while leveraging the obvious advantages that the familiarity of the Arbiter title and characterization might afford us. Just as countless Arbiters have faced impossible odds to represent the honor and glory of their people,&nbsp;</span>this&nbsp;<span>Arbiter was created to represent the glory and honor of the Halo universe against an impossible new challenge.</span></i></p>
<p>You can read the whole post for yourself <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-fighting-words">here</a>.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=8154572" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox OnehalodlcgamesCombo-Breaking New Groundhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/22/killer-instinct-review.aspxFri, 22 Nov 2013 22:00:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:6427561Jason Oestreicher0<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/gameinformer/testchamber/killerinstinct/review_killerinstinct_600.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>I have fond memories of playing Killer Instinct in the arcades nearly 20 years ago. Lengthy combo counts, the guttural shouts of the announcer, and the excitement of pulling off an ultra combo always brings a smile to my face. Its ridiculousness set itself apart from the juggernauts of the era (like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat), and I expected no less from this reboot of the series. Killer Instinct on Xbox One stays true to the fun and silliness of its past, but also has a deep, competent, and innovative engine driving the action.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">The base formula for stringing together combos is largely unchanged from the original game. You start with an opening special move, press a button for an auto double, another special move for a linker, another auto, and finally a finisher. This approach isn&rsquo;t as rigid as it seems; it&rsquo;s more of a starter recipe that you can add to or take away from as desired. The engine gives a lot of wiggle room to allow the player to create freeflow combos. Execution requirements are lenient, giving the player ample time to buffer their next attack in a string. This leniency in execution ensures that you won&rsquo;t have to commit several hours in the training room, and lets the player have fun and pull off kick-ass combos right out of the gate.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">Being attacked in other fighting games is usually a frustratingly passive affair, but Killer Instinct lets you take more of an active role in how badly you get pummeled. The iconic &ldquo;C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER&rdquo; was an innovative mechanic back in the original, and the tradition continues. At a glance, combo breakers may seem like a glorified game of rock-paper-scissors. You need to press a button combination of the same strength level of the attack you&rsquo;re attempting to break, but the combo-breaker metagame only begins there. If you anticipate your combo being broken, you can now &shy;perform a counter breaker to shut down your opponent and continue with your onslaught. Attempting to break a combo or a counter is risky; incorrectly guessing can open you up to all sorts of hurt &ndash; even locking you out of combo-breaker attempts for a short duration. Dishing out damage by getting in your &shy;opponent&rsquo;s head is hugely satisfying. The risk/reward of performing combo breakers is ripe with opportunities for mind games.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">Obviously, getting in the head of an AI opponent is impossible, but if you do want to duke it out with a computer, there aren&rsquo;t many options available to you. The never-ending survival mode helps you earn points to unlock some cool collectibles. Costumes and accessories for your fighter are available as well as titles, icons, and taunts for your profile. KI nostalgists will likely spend some time racking up points in order to unlock audio tracks from the old &ldquo;Killer Cuts&rdquo; CD or to enable the classic announcer voice. The lack of a traditional story or arcade mode might be a bummer for some, but shouldn&rsquo;t be a deal-breaker.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">(Please visit the site to view this media)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">Playing against real opponents is where the fun lies. The offline multiplayer captures a classic arcade experience, but online offerings are disappointingly limited. Exhibition matches are only one-on-one with no spectator capabilities. Ranked matches are handled by the developer&rsquo;s own SmartMatch system, but I&rsquo;d rather set criteria like latency and player rank for myself. Online experiences will vary, but the netcode seemed solid in my time playing ranked matches.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">Killer Instinct doesn&rsquo;t cost any money up front; you get one character for free &ndash; Jago at launch &ndash; and the other five are available as a bundle ($20) or individually ($5 each). The scant number of characters is atypical of modern fighters (though two more are promised via DLC). On the other hand, KI focuses on strengthening archetypes instead of padding the roster with carbon copies. Well-balanced, rushdown, mixup, projectile, and grapple types are all represented, and each feels different. Though the faces are familiar, most characters&rsquo; movesets and command motions have been altered significantly. The new kid on the block is a character named Sadira &ndash; a female assassin with high mobility and speed that lead to mind-boggling mix-up situations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;">Killer Instinct is an absolute blast to play, and appeals to both my casual and hardcore fighter sensibilities. It has one of my favorite fighting game engines in recent memory. I hope that more characters are added, and players get the ability to create spectator &shy;lobbies in the future. Despite those problems, Double Helix has exceeded expectations in resurrecting this franchise as a fun and accessible fighter.</span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6427561" width="1" height="1">Fightingmicrosoftkiller instinctXbox Onedouble helix gamesreview249Killer Instinct Launch Trailer Confirms The Return Of Fulgorehttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/21/exclusive-killer-instinct-launch-trailer-confirms-the-return-of-fulgore.aspxThu, 21 Nov 2013 14:22:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:6424143Kyle Hilliard52http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=6424143http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/21/exclusive-killer-instinct-launch-trailer-confirms-the-return-of-fulgore.aspx#comments<p><img style="max-width:610px;" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/xboxone/killerinstinct/fulgore_610.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>As the star of Killer Instinct&#39;s Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 box
art, Fulgore has always been the poster child for the Killer
Instinct franchise. We expected his return, but now we can
confirm it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, he won&#39;t be available with the game&#39;s release on Friday. He will be added to the roster in March. Another <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/02/orchid-confirmed-and-showcased-for-killer-instinct-spinal-teased.aspx">previously teased</a>, now confirmed returning fighter, Spinal, will be available in January.</p>
<p>There are other exciting elements of the launch trailer, including plenty of gameplay from all those in the starting roster, and some of the interesting customization options that will be available. It also has what may be the most excited trailer announcer in the history of announcers. I don&#39;t think there will ever be anyone more excited to announce that something is exclusive to Xbox One that the announcer at the end of this trailer.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/11/18/killer-instinct-and-zoo-tycoon-review-note.aspx">Our review of Killer Instinct isn&#39;t online yet</a>, but it will be soon. In the meantime, you can <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/06/killer-instinct-preview.aspx">read some of our preview impressions</a>. Killer Instinct will be downloadable for the Xbox One when the console launches on Friday, November 22.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6424143" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox Onedouble helixspinallaunchfulgoreKiller Instinct Comes Out Swinging In Its Xbox One Revivalhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/06/killer-instinct-preview.aspxWed, 06 Nov 2013 17:00:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:6295213Dan Ryckert55http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=6295213http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/06/killer-instinct-preview.aspx#comments<p><img style="max-width:610px;" border="0" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/xboxone/gamespreview/ki610.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s been over 15 years since we last saw Killer Instinct, the Rare-developed fighter whose heyday coincided with those of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. With such a long period of dormancy, fighting fans were excited to learn that Double Helix is reviving the series for the launch of Xbox One. When it was announced at E3, I wondered if the return of Killer Instinct would be a quick, nostalgic cash-in. After playing several matches at a recent Xbox One event, I&rsquo;m newly optimistic about the free download.</p>
<p>Double Helix&rsquo;s business model with Killer Instinct has been known for a while, but I can&rsquo;t help but think it&rsquo;s a smart one for a fighting game. Considering most fighting fans focus on a handful of characters in each game, it makes sense to allow for piecemeal purchases if someone doesn&rsquo;t want the whole roster. For those that want everyone available out of the gate, the entire package will be available for the very reasonable $19.99.</p>
<p>I played rounds as Jago, Sabrewulf, and Thunder, and a member of the Double Helix team walked me through the systems that are in place. One of the staples of the original games was the abundance of fast-paced combos (complete with screaming announcer), and they&rsquo;re back in full force. Matches don&rsquo;t have to be an exercise in getting hit with 25-hit combos, however, as the combo-breaker mechanic is simple and effective. You simply have to hit both the punch and kick buttons of the matching power level as your opponent, and the combo is broken. You&rsquo;re not in the clear once this is activated, however, as the combo originator can fight back with a counter breaker with a well-timed press of both medium attacks.</p>
<p>A couple of meters are in place to shake up combat, and both forms should be familiar to fighting fans. Your shadow meter comes with two stocks, and these can be used to activate enhanced versions of your special moves. An instinct meter activates a unique power once filled, and it&rsquo;s activated with both heavy attack buttons. Sabrewulf gains enhanced attack power, Glacius is granted ice armor, and Thunder is given the ability to dash in for devastating grapple attacks.</p>
<p>As a free download, there&rsquo;s a chance that many gamers who don&rsquo;t typically play fighting games will play Killer Instinct. Double Helix is preparing for this with an in-depth dojo mode that teaches everything from basics like movement and special attacks to advanced learning tools like hit boxes and frame data.</p>
<p>Everything I played points to Killer Instinct being a proper, modern revival of a series that many fighting game fans have fond memories of. It&rsquo;s fast, fun, and accessible, and I&rsquo;m a big fan of the business model that&rsquo;s going into its release. If you have even a passing interest in fighting games, you&rsquo;ve got nothing to lose by downloading this title for free when you boot up your new Xbox One.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6295213" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox OneOrchid Confirmed And Showcased For Killer Instinct, Spinal Teasedhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/02/orchid-confirmed-and-showcased-for-killer-instinct-spinal-teased.aspxSat, 02 Nov 2013 17:03:01 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:6194046Kyle Hilliard60http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=6194046http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/11/02/orchid-confirmed-and-showcased-for-killer-instinct-spinal-teased.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/spinal/spinalki_610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Microsoft and Double Helix have teased Spinal for its next-gen fighter, Killer Instinct, in a new trailer, which shows the <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/09/21/new-killer-instinct-trailer-details-sadira-teases-b-orchid.aspx">previously teased Orchid</a> in action.</p>
<p>You will see Orchid (who no longer uses the &quot;B.&quot; in front of her name) breaking Jago&#39;s face and turning into a tiger, among other impressive moves. The end of the trailer also reveals that Spinal will be joining the cast of fighters.</p>
<p>Killer Instinct will release alongside the Xbox One as a downloadable title on November 22. There will be a sort-of retail version of the game with <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/10/13/killer-instinct-teams-up-with-penny-arcade-to-release-limited-box-version.aspx">Pin Ultimate Edition</a>, but there are no plans to release a disc version of the game. For more on Killer Instinct, <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/10/08/killer-instinct-and-the-cloud-balancing-without-a-patch.aspx">check out our interview with Torin Rettig</a>, where he talks about how the cloud will help balance Killer Instinct without downloadable patches.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p><i>[Source: <a target="_blank" href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/11/games-killer-instinct-orchid-trailer">Xbox</a>]</i></p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6194046" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox Onedouble helixorchidb. orchidKiller Instinct And The Cloud – Balancing Without A Patchhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/10/08/killer-instinct-and-the-cloud-balancing-without-a-patch.aspxTue, 08 Oct 2013 15:30:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:4720370Kyle Hilliard28http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=4720370http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/10/08/killer-instinct-and-the-cloud-balancing-without-a-patch.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/KIsadira_610-Watermarked.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>One of Microsoft&rsquo;s most ambiguous selling points for the Xbox One is its ever-present cloud. We haven&rsquo;t seen many examples of its use outside of Forza Motorsport 5&rsquo;s Driveatar, but Microsoft frequently assures us in press conferences and development videos that it will be awesome. In an interview with Killer Instinct&rsquo;s producer Torin Rettig, he shared how the cloud is being used to help keep the game consistently balanced.</p>
<p>In short, the cloud allows developer Double Helix to immediately and easily implement changes in Killer Instinct&rsquo;s code to make sure fights stay fair. &ldquo;All of our variables that go into how a character behaves are going to exist basically in the cloud,&rdquo; Rettig said. &ldquo;Without having to content update or patch the game at all, we can just go in on the cloud and tweak these variables without the player having to know.&rdquo; Rettig went into further detail on how it will work saying, &quot;Our vision is for it all to be behind the scenes, so it won&rsquo;t require any official title update download. Basically the game checks for the latest version of the gameplay&rsquo;s parameters and automatically updates if it&rsquo;s a new version. No download or confirmation dialogue necessary and the files themselves are so small you&rsquo;d never notice the difference.&quot;</p>
<p>Making minor balance changes without going through Xbox Live&rsquo;s servers is not an entirely new practice. Many of Electronic Arts&rsquo; sports titles like Madden and NHL have been using a method to make small tweaks without requiring large patch downloads for a few years. These Tuner Updates make minor balance changes to the game using small downloads, without the need for extensive patch downloading through Microsoft&rsquo;s Xbox Live servers.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>Large patches will still be necessary from time to time for Killer Instinct, as Double Helix plans to continually update the game and add new content. When adding or changing content or assets, you can expect the traditional downloadable update. Simple balancing, however, comes very fast and without the need to download. &ldquo;Any of the normal fighting game balancing activities that we would need to do, we can basically figure out what we need to do, implement the change, and just release a change in the same day. It can be very, very fast,&rdquo; Rettig said.</p>
<p>With great power comes great responsibility, and Rettig is quick to add that they won&rsquo;t be making frequent changes just because they can. The game can be tweaked without player knowledge, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean it will be. Rettig says developer notes will always post alongside changes.</p>
<p>When fighting game communities discover a tactic, or a move that is overpowered or difficult to combat, oftentimes the community can figure out how to react over time, and that is part of the fun of the game. This is one of the reasons Rettig and the Killer Instinct team want to be careful about implementing balance changes. The other problem that could arise, is that the game could change too much too quickly, and that could turn fans off who aren&rsquo;t playing as often as others. &ldquo;We need to be very careful about doing knee-jerk kind of tweaks to the game,&rdquo; Rettig said.</p>
<p>Killer Instinct will be available as downloadable launch title for the Xbox One on November 22.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=4720370" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctrareXbox Onedouble helixken lobbNew Killer Instinct Trailer Details Sadira, Teases B. Orchidhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/09/21/new-killer-instinct-trailer-details-sadira-teases-b-orchid.aspxSat, 21 Sep 2013 16:11:40 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:4613550Kyle Hilliard25http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=4613550http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/09/21/new-killer-instinct-trailer-details-sadira-teases-b-orchid.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/orchid/borchid_610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>The latest Killer Instinct trailer shows off more of Sadira, who was briefly shown at <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/08/31/killer-instinct-pax-trailer-showcases-chief-thunder-reveals-new-character.aspx">PAX in August</a>, and offers a tease for returning character B. Orchid.</p>
<p>Sadira can be seen using all kinds of web-type powers in her attacks, and the end of her video reveals a gigantic spider. It&#39;s unclear how this giant spider will play a role in Killer Instinct. The trailer also offers a very quick tease for B. Orchid, a returning Killer Instinct fighter.</p>
<p>GameSpot currently holds the exclusive on the trailer, so you can <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gamespot.com/tgs/killer-instinct-exclusive-sadira-trailer-6414759/">head here</a> to check it out, or watch the trailer on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBdYJcu1Yg">GameSpot&#39;s YouTube page</a>.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.gamespot.com/tgs/killer-instinct-exclusive-sadira-trailer-6414759/"><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/orchid/ORCHID_610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>
<p><i>[Source: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gamespot.com/tgs/killer-instinct-exclusive-sadira-trailer-6414759/">GameSpot</a>]</i></p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=4613550" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox Oneteaseorchidb. orchidsadiraKiller Instinct PAX Trailer Showcases Chief Thunder, Reveals New Characterhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/08/31/killer-instinct-pax-trailer-showcases-chief-thunder-reveals-new-character.aspxSat, 31 Aug 2013 16:02:06 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:4150416Kyle Hilliard83http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=4150416http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/08/31/killer-instinct-pax-trailer-showcases-chief-thunder-reveals-new-character.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/chiefthunder_610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>As part of Killer Instinct&#39;s PAX 2013 presence, a new trailer has released showcasing Chief Thunder, and teasing a new character. It&#39;s not much of a tease per se, as the new female combatant is fully shown in all of her combat glory. She is the first entirely new, non-returning character to be revealed for the new Killer Instinct, and so far she is the only female fighter.</p>
<p>Killer Instinct will be free to download for Xbox One players with new characters available for $4.99 each, but there is also the Combo Breaker and Ultra Edition bundles, detailed below:</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;"><b>Combo Breaker Pack:</b> Save 50% instantly by purchasing the Combo Breaker Pack (the first eight characters &ndash; six at launch and then early access to the other two new characters before their official release) for just $19.99 / 16.99 Pounds / 19.99 EURO.<br /><br /><b>Ultra Edition:</b> For the best value, get the Ultra Edition for $39.99, which includes the first eight characters, accessories packs and costumes, plus the original &ldquo;Killer Instinct&rdquo; arcade game.</p>
<p>Killer Instinct is currently a launch title for Xbox One.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=4150416" width="1" height="1">Fightingchief thunderPreviewkiller instinctrareXbox Oneteasepaxpax 2013double helixWe Dive Deeper Into The Game's Early Rosterhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/07/19/we-dive-deeper-into-the-game-39-s-early-roster.aspxFri, 19 Jul 2013 08:05:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:3336092Jeff Cork53http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=3336092http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/07/19/we-dive-deeper-into-the-game-39-s-early-roster.aspx#comments<div class="paginated-post" rel="2"><div class="paginated-post-page" rel="1"><p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/KillerInstinct/e32013-07.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Right now, we know of three characters from Killer Instinct&#39;s character roster. We spoke with Torin Rettig, the game&#39;s producer at Microsoft, to learn more about the new incarnations of Jago, Saberwolf, and Glacius.</p>
<p>Rettig broke down each of the revealed trio as far as who they are, how they play, and what unique traits they bring to the game&#39;s combo system. Here&#39;s what he had to say:</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/KillerInstinct/e32013-08.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size:medium;">Jago</span></b><br /><b>Profile:&nbsp;</b>&quot;He&rsquo;s a Tibetan monk. His story from the first couple of games is that he had this thing called the Tiger Spirit, and it was what gave him all of his special abilities. Eventually that Tiger Spirit corrupted him though, and he figured out that he was being manipulated by one of the bosses, Gargos. Now he wants to redeem himself. You can actually see it in his outfit. He&rsquo;s got a Tibetan monk outfit, but it&rsquo;s kind of half off of him, and he has a tiger tattoo that shows his conflict with the Tiger Spirit. We wanted that to come out with each of the characters; we wanted their costumes, when you looked at them, to tell a story.&quot;</p>
<p><b>Style:&nbsp;</b>&quot;He&rsquo;s kind of a hybrid rushdown-zone type character. He has tools to do both pretty well, but not as awesomely as other characters. So he has fireballs, which he can use to zone a character out and keep him at bay, but he also has really, really powerful combos. He can get in and when he starts comboing he has some of the best juggles in the game. Once he knocks you into the air, he can keep you in the air, he can kick you, throw fireballs at you, do uppercut after uppercut at you.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Combo quirk:</b>&nbsp;&quot;Inside the combos, every Killer Instinct character has the standard opener, double, linker, double, ender kind of paradigm, but each character has a little different take on it. Jago&rsquo;s little different take on it is that he has this thing called around the world. What that is, you can keep doing doubles instead of having to keep going back to your linker. It&rsquo;s kind of technical &ndash; if you aren&rsquo;t familiar with the game, it might sound like Greek. But it&rsquo;s actually pretty cool. He can keep doing these doubles, which are double hits that you get with one button press, and he can keep doing those like &#39;boom boom boom&#39; like crazy. Unfortunately, it&rsquo;s also very breakable; you have to go down the buttons in order to do it.&quot;</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/KillerInstinct/e32013-05.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size:medium;">Saberwolf</span></b><br /><b>Profile:</b>&nbsp;&quot;He&rsquo;s a tormented scientist who got turned into a werewolf. Much of his struggle in the first Killer Instincts was in trying to turn himself back into a human. Now, he&rsquo;s more embracing the werewolf within him and trying to control it and trying to come to terms with it.&quot;</p>
<p><b>Style:</b>&nbsp;&quot;He&rsquo;s a pure rushdown style character. He has really fast moves, he can get in really quickly, and he can dash through you. Most characters, when they dash into you, they get blocked by your character. That doesn&rsquo;t happen with Saberwolf. He will dash through you &ndash; like front, behind, whatever. He&rsquo;ll knock you down, and then he&rsquo;ll be back, forward, back, forward &ndash; you won&rsquo;t know what side he&rsquo;ll be on. He&rsquo;s definitely about speed and keeping you on your heels and being in your face. But his thing is, he has to get in. If he can&rsquo;t get in, he can&rsquo;t do any damage. He doesn&rsquo;t have any projectiles; all of his moves are melee-style moves.&quot;</p>
<p><b>Combo quirk:&nbsp;</b>&quot;His unique trait for combos is he has this thing called rabid doubles. Normally when you do a double, you press once and you do two moves. But you can keep pressing the same button and he&rsquo;ll keep on doing increasingly faster and faster hits where he&rsquo;s biting or scratching you, and it looks insane. The trade off is that they&rsquo;re very easy to break. The way breakers work, now you can actually break anything. Before, you could only break doubles, but now you can break anything. The way they work, is that if you&rsquo;re in the middle of a combo &ndash; someone is comboing you &ndash; you can break the move that they&rsquo;re doing against you. You do that by matching the power level of the attack they&rsquo;re doing on you. So, if Jago is doing a medium double, if I press medium punch and medium kick at that time, then I&rsquo;ll do a combo breaker. Rabid doubles are fun, and they&rsquo;re great for a newbie kind of player to get in and feel like they&rsquo;re doing a lot of damage &ndash; even if they may not be. It&rsquo;s really gratifying and people really get into it.&quot;</p></div></div><script type="text/javascript">PaginateGrid();</script><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=3336092" width="1" height="1">FightingPreviewkiller instinctXbox OneMicrosoft Shows Off Glacius In Killer Instinct, Teases Chief Thunderhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/07/14/microsoft-shows-off-glacius-in-killer-instinct-teases-chief-thunder.aspxMon, 15 Jul 2013 00:15:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:3260160Kyle Hilliard124http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=3260160http://www.gameinformer.com/games/killer_instinct/b/xboxone/archive/2013/07/14/microsoft-shows-off-glacius-in-killer-instinct-teases-chief-thunder.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/glacius/glacius_610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>At EVO 2013, Microsoft showcased some gameplay from Glacius in Killer Instinct, and teases the appearance of Chief Thunder.</p>
<p>The Chief Thunder tease was of the &quot;blink and you miss it&quot; variety, with a tomahawk being thrown and embedded into a tree after a trailer of Glacius gameplay. We will make sure to update this story when the video goes online.</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/microsoft2013/e3/pressconference/killerinstinct/glacius/thunderchief_610a.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>In the meantime, you can <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twitch.tv/srkevo1">head here</a> to see check out the EVO 2013 live stream.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=3260160" width="1" height="1">glaciusFightingchief thunderPreviewmicrosoftkiller instinctrareXbox One